MtnCat

I had my surgery at Mercy Hospital on May 29th (Dr. Gersin - he is in the same practice with Dr. Kuwada). Unfortunately, I have been struggling to lose any weight - I didn't feel any restriction at all until I was at 6cc in a 10cc band. But, I have lost over 6 lbs since I finally felt restriction with the band - so hopefully I am now on the way. In fact, I had to have an unfill at my last appt. because I was having so much heartburn. Hopefully, it won't affect my weight loss.

I was out three weeks and needed that much time. I have a hard time with anesthesia so it usually takes me awhile to get my energy back after having any type of surgery. Everyone is different. There is absolutely no way I could have gone back to work in less than a week. I was still sleeping probably 18 hours a day at that time.

Wow!! I must be super lucky because I had no shoulder pain at all. Maybe the Gods were smiling on me though.....I have a bone spur in my shoulder and have to get occasional cortisone shots.....so a painful shoulder was the LAST thing I would need. I have never heard of "breathing into an IS" either.

Have you contacted your surgeon's office yet? It sounds like you need an increased dosage in the pain meds.

I totally understand. I felt the same way exactly before my surgery. And I still struggle with depression at times because I don't really enjoy eating like I did in the past. My band is pretty restricted now so eating is almost painful. It's definitely a committment that you have to make and stick with it.

Good luck with it. The surgery isn't bad at all. And the Pre-op diet is the worst part of it all. I think I lost about 10 lbs that week.

Yeah, don't give up. I didn't feel any restriction at all until I had 6cc in my 10cc band. It was very frustrating for me too.....but hang in there.

Yes, I get the hiccups right after I eat or drink anything. Thankfully, I never burp.

Wow!! Your success in losing weight is VERY impressive. Please don't let the stress of this situation cause you to relapse. As others have suggested, get your Mom and go to a support group and/or counseling. That is the biggest treat you can give yourself at this time. What many people don't realize is that overeating is an addiction, just like alcoholism or drug addiction. And it is much worse in many ways - you can stop drinking and stop using drugs but you need to eat to survive. As the child of an alcoholic I grew up escaping the stress of family life with food. My father has been sober for 24 years now - but I am still struggling with my addiction to food. It has taken me years of counseling and group therapy to get to the point where I was ready to make the committment to lose weight. You have come way too far to relapse now. You are almost at your goal.

Yes, I had horrible acid reflux prior to surgery. They fixed the hernia during surgery and now I am completely off of the Nexium.

I felt the same way. I was banded on May 29th and actually was GAINING weight. I had my 3rd fill about 1 1/2 weeks ago and I now have restriction for the first time. I have lost about 5 lbs since this last fill. So, don't give up...it just takes awhile for them to get the fill in the bad set at the right level.

Ohhhh noooo. I didn't even know that this could happen until my last appointment. My port has evidently flipped up on it's side....hopefully, it doesn't turn all the way over. Yes, let us know how it goes at the hospital.

Excellent post. I also felt much disappointment that I was GAINING weight after surgery. I also saw all of these tickers that showed a lot of weight loss in the first couple of months after surgery. I felt like I was some kind of failure. However, I only achieved restriction at my last fill which was 1 1/2 weeks ago. Now, the weight is starting to fall off again. So, don't get discouraged if you start out slowly....you may be one of those that takes awhile to get the appropriate amount of fill in your band before you start losing.

Congratulations!!! You are doing much better than me. I was banded on 5/29 and still have only lost 20 lbs, including the pre-op diet. My problem was that after the swelling went down from surgery I had NO restriction at all and started eating way too much again. I just had my 3rd fill 1 1/2 weeks ago and finally feel restriction, almost too much now. But, at least the scale is starting to slide down again....instead of going up like it was for a few weeks.

Yeah, I can't eat mashed potatoes or bread either. And it is a little difficult to swallow liquid too. I can eat any kind of grilled fish as long as I only eat a bite or two of it. But beef and chicken are totally out of the question. I haven't been able to drink my Protein shakes since I had this last fill. I really don't like them and to suffer when drinking them is too much to ask. I think I am going to ask to have a little of the fill removed next week unless this is very much improved. I at least want to be able to drink in peace.